Conventionally, there has been known a speed change control apparatus of so-called shift-by-wire (hereinafter abbreviated as SBW) type that is designed to mechanically decouple a shift lever that is operated by a occupant of a vehicle from an oil pressure control circuit of a transmission, detect operating circumstances of the shift lever through the use of a sensor and a switch, and operate a manual valve of the oil pressure control circuit through the use of an electric shift actuator (e.g., see Patent Document 1).
In a control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, an engine that has carried out idling stop is restarted in response to a shift operation by a driver. For example, cranking for starting up the engine is started in response to an operation of changing over the shift lever to a forward running range (D). After it is determined that the start-up has been completed as a result of the racing of engine rotation, the shift actuator is operated, and the valve position of the manual valve is changed over from a neutral range (N) to the forward running range.